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Facebook is rolling out its Periscope-like live-broadcasting feature for everyone to use.
The tool, initially launched for use by celebrities and public figures who wanted to connect with their fans and followers, will be rolled out gradually, first in the United States.
“Live lets you bring your friends and family right next to you to experience what’s happening together,” Facebook product managers Vadim Lavrusik and Thai Tran wrote in a blog post.
Users will see a “live video icon” in their status update area and be given the capability to write a description and choose who they want to see the broadcast – choosing between friends, family, the public and the like.
The number of live viewers, names of friends tuning in and a real-time stream of comments will also be shown. The video will then be saved on to the user’s’ timeline once the live stream ends.
Live-streaming apps Meerkat and Periscope have become increasingly popular especially at live events such as Red Carpets and press conferences. Twitter bought Periscope in March of this year.
Facebook’s move also ties in with its broader push into video.
Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg recently said that it would eventually give video content creators a revenue share of video views, in a bid to get more people making video on the social network.
